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Driveable day trips from Playa Samara

Are any of the parks within reasonable driving distance from Playa Samara? Traveling with a 5 year old and hoping to do some stuff with him other than beach. We've been to Playa Samara before, but have not ventured out much. Any recommendations?

The nearest national park to Samara is the little-known Barra Honda, a large hill which is home to one of the most extensive cave systems in Costa Rica. The hill is formed from limestone, so you get the classic stalactite and stalagmite formations. Guided tours of the caves can be taken from Terciopelo, and if you hike up to the top of the hill, there's a stunning view over the Gulf of Nicoya.

A little further away is the Palo Verde National Park, extremely ecologically diverse wetlands. Although not a national park, the Ostional Wildlife Reserve on the coast north of Samara is also definitely worth a look. Most notably for the Olive Ridley Turtles, which nest in large numbers here, especially from July to November.

Aside from turtle spotting, there's a host of other activities in the area which will be great fun for young children, including boat trips to see dolphins, swimming and snorkelling, and possibly horse riding. You can also explore the forests on a canopy tour, kayak along the river looking for birds, while older children can get active with surf lessons, stand up paddle boarding and mountain biking.

It is possible to take a child into the Barra Honda caves, although under-10's are restricted to entering the Cuevita cave. As with any such excursion, this may be subject to change, and access may also depend on local conditions (weather etc). It's always best to check the most up to date advice locally with the excursion operator.

My comments have been removed because of a misunderstanding, as I contacted Fodor's moderators, they're going to reactive them as soon as they can, if they not appearing before the end of this week, I'll publish them again. Sorry about that.